Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Today, I finally got approved to post on NeoGAF.

Getting your account validated on NeoGAF is actually, like a process. You can't sign up with a Gmail or Hotmail account like everything else on the internet. You need an account with a .biz or .edu handle - something people can't get for free - and even then, you'll wait months before the board actually authorizes your account to post anything.

All I'd wanted, with my account, was to write a post thanking the people in the FigureGAF threads for all their instruction, over the past year. Well, finally, today, it happened.

This is my first-ever post on NeoGAF, and I hope you'll indulge me, as it's a long one.

I've always been much more of a gamer than a figure guy. My "figure" collection consisted entirely of those ugly statues that (occasionally) come from special editions, and a few thirty-dollar toys I was able to get from local hobby shops (BioShock's Bouncer, Kratos, etc.)

There's always been a very special place in my gamer heart for Vanillaware - the devs who made Odin Sphere and Muramasa and Dragon's Crown - and, though I'd known about a gorgeous figure of Gwendolyn for years (I prefer Sif's to Alter's), I never took the plunge. But that Momohime from Alter, man... that thing is so gorgeous... and I love Muramasa and Momohime in particular so much, but what then?

Then I'd be one of those People Who Have Japanese PVC Figures. I'd be one of those people with $100 dolls, and there but for the grace of God go I.

But still... I watched Momo on Amazon as the price went up and up and up following her release (Amazon, because I knew no better). The price kept climbing and I'd go to nerd cons and, deep in my gamer heart, I knew I was longing to find Momo there. I was always so disappointed when I didn't.

Finally, in late 2013, I cracked. I went to Amazon and paid two hundred of my dollars plus tax plus shipping for Alter's Momohime. She's incredible - but I don't have to tell you that.

I didn't know, at the time, that Alter's Momohime is one of these storied pieces that everyone sort of agrees is the Cadillac of figures - but you did.

The year leading up to Momo's purchase, I fell deeply in love with Dragon's Crown on my Vita, and the Amazon character in particular. Then Megahouse announced their figures - figures that did a ridiculously good job of recreating Kamitani's concept art in three dimensions, and of course... Well, I mean of course I was going to try to get the Amazon.

And I don't need to tell you that the Elf's sculpt, in particular, is incredible - such a beautifully kinetic pose, such attention to detail - that it would be a shame not to get her. And if you're going to get two, might as well complete the set - but those were months away.

In the mean time, I ordered Sif's Gwendolyn from Amazon. I knew no better. Sif's Gwendolyn is a good reproduction of the concept art - not a great one - but she was the first figure I ever really desired, and a better representation of the character, I feel, than Alter's. Once I'd taken the plunge with Momo, getting Gwen seemed the natural next step.

At that point, it was clear, a switch had fired somewhere deep within me. I got every Funko POP Adventure Time character.

Megahouse's Elf arrived, and for our anniversary my girlfriend bought me the Black and White Harley Quinn by Bruce Timm. For my birthday, she bought me the Amazon, and by then I'd been lurking this thread for months.

Amazon is supernaturally-bad for pre-ordering figures, but you folks already knew that. I knew they hadn't sent me my Sorceress after she'd been released, for example, because you told me about MyFigureCollection.net, and its beautifully-updated information.

I got my Sorceress from AmiAmi because of you, FigureGAF. And you were right to send me there. She showed up five days after payment, with a weekend in between.

A month or so ago, my lady and I were attending a comic con, and suddenly I shot away from her and came to a screetching stop in front of a little square box.

"What is that?" she asked.

"That is the Ryuko Matoi Nendoroid," I explained, as if that explained anything. I'd had no idea what a Nendo was, until you showed me one and I was like "awww!"

Mako followed shortly after (AmiAmi).

You taught me, FigureGAF. You taught me where to find out the latest news about the figures I care about,

you taught me where to order them

and you taught me how to put together a gorgeous set-up for them just by visiting Ikea.

You showed me the way. The where and the how. And I get the why.

Thank you.

[update] The FigureGAF folks are super-nice! They all gave me warm welcomes, but the best reaction to my diatribe easily goes to StayDead.

CHANCE...

...is actually named David.

This is where I write about video games. Beyond the simple pleasure of it, I hope to use this place as a bit of a mental gym to re-develop my writing style - something I seem to have misplaced around the turn of the century.

It will also serve as a personal blog, but for the most part if you enjoy discussion of gaming news, independent reviews and pointless musings, you have come to precisely the right place.

It's my custom to do at least one post per day - but whether it ends up being ten posts of breaking news and a review, or one post complaining about how I have a tummy ache is not set in stone.